03.02.2025 at the Ice Arena the first games of the XXIII International Chess Tournament «Orsha-2025» started

The day before, "warm-up" meetings in rapid chess took place, along with a bright opening ceremony at the GCK "Victory".

This year, 295 athletes from various regions of Belarus, as well as chess players from Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, are participating in the tournament. The intellectual competitions are divided into several groups in individual standings using the Swiss system over 9 rounds: an open tournament with international rating calculation, a representatives' tournament, a master tournament, and four children's tournaments. Blitz and tempo tournaments are also planned – open tournaments with FIDE rating calculation. In the team standings, teams of 5 chess players and a coach will compete, formed on a territorial basis.

– The Orsha chess tournament is a traditional meeting place for experienced athletes with high international ratings and very young chess enthusiasts, – noted the chief judge of the competitions, international arbiter Anatoly Lebedev. – Among the strongest chess players from Russia and Belarus this year, the tournament features the representative from the Vologda region, international grandmaster Ivan Rozum, listed as number 1, members of the national chess team of Belarus, international grandmaster Alexey Alexandrov and international master Vyacheslav Zarubitsky, international grandmaster Kiril Stupak (all from Minsk), and international grandmaster among women Rakhil Eidelson from Vitebsk.

There is a large representation of young chess players from Orsha (about 40).

The traditional chess tournament in Orsha is not only daily competitions throughout the week. The organizers have prepared a rich cultural program. Those interested will go on a tour "Living History" to the village of Alexandria, there will be a lecture by an international grandmaster on how to prepare properly for a game, and a coaching seminar. The sports program also includes attending a match of the open championship of Belarus in ice hockey featuring the extraleague hockey clubs "Lokomotiv-Orsha" and "Gomel", a simultaneous play session with international grandmasters, and a friendly football match.

The results will be summarized during the festive closing of the tournament on February 9.

Let's wish the people of Orsha and all tournament participants beautiful games!

Source: @orshanka.by